Magic as a Phenomenological Tool for Designing Technology

This paper presented is the culmination of four-year project that explores how designers might exploit notions of transformation from an anthropological and phenomenological analysis of magic to design practice.

This project developed a sophisticated model of how design processes can be linked to magic and how this can be employed as a creativity technique with the potential for generating highly original and applicable solutions for industrial and product designers. The model has been used in this way to develop, for instance, convincing scenarios for product innovation, novel and engaging interface design or a more thorough approach to the embedding of ecological considerations in new-product development.

Ben Hughes

Research Interests

Product design/development, concept, image and its relationship to function. Design against crime, anti-theft bag prototypes. As a director of DTG (Design Transformation Group) I have instigated, designed, curated + organised several events incuding workshops, conference papers, exhibitions. Forthcoming events under the "claystation" series include the Jerwood prize "My Chair" at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, July 2005, Designersblock Frankfurt August 2005, Block Architecture Festival at the Lighthouse, Glasgow October 2005 and Designersblock, London September 2005.

Current Research

All the research is incorporated into the development and design of the cited projects. These have primarily been large commercial products which have involved the development of concept, image and its relation ship to function. The most recent research and product development has been undertaken in the context of the 'Design Against Crime' project in this case applied to the design of a anti-theft bag concepts and prototypes. The results of this research have been exhibited in the UK and more recently in Milan.